Crossing Lines
by Littleotter73
Summary: When a misunderstanding has Buffy and Giles not seeing eye to eye, harsh words are said, challenges are thrown down, and lines are crossed. But maybe that's not a bad thing.


**Title:** Crossing Lines

 **Author:** littleotter73

 **Rating:** FRM

 **Paring:** Giles/Buffy

 **Summary:** When a misunderstanding has Buffy and Giles not seeing eye to eye, harsh words are said, challenges are thrown down, and lines are crossed. But maybe that's not a bad thing.

 **Setting:** December 2003, Post Chosen, no comics, no AtS past BtVs canon.

 **Beta:** Many thanks to foreverbooks.

 **A/N:** Written for Summer of Giles 2017.

 **A/N 2:** This story and the one I posted before it _In the Moment_ are prequels to a larger story I will be posting next week titled _All of Him_. The idea was that I was going to post this story as a bonus on the free for all day and post the larger fic today, I was not able to get it done in time.

"I can't believe you did that!" Buffy yelled, following Giles into his office and slamming the door behind her, leaving those few people still left after hours on the executive level floor scurrying for safer harbors. The Head Slayer in a black mood was terrifying. "I _thought_ we agreed to stand up to them! I _thought_ we were a team!"

Giles placed his notebook on his desk and turned around to face her. "We _are!"_ he insisted.

"Then what the living hell was _that_ all about?" she asked, pointing in the direction of the executive meeting room. "Because the last thing _I_ remember talking about with regards to opening the Sydney office is that _we_ were going to hold off on that until after the new year and redirect the existing funds of this year's budget to the expansion in Cleveland to support the _actual_ threat there!"

"We did!" he agreed.

"Then tell me, Giles, why the _hell_ you would agree to the exact opposite of what _we_ wanted without even so much as asking for a quick break to discuss it with me?"

"Buffy-"

"Do you want to be the one to tell Faith, Robin, and Xander they can't get the resources they need to support the Slayers there? Because there are about a million other things I can think of that would be infinitely more fun, including getting a root canal from a blind Arytex demon!"

"Buffy, that would be preposterous. Arytex demons are-"

" _Exactly_ my point!"

He rolled his eyes and placed his hands on his hips in that very officious way of his. She hated it.

"I _was_ trying to compromise," he said with an air of great indignation.

"Compromise?" she asked incredulously. "You were _trying_ to compromise?"

"Yes! Sir Stephen wasn't going to vote the way we needed him to on the Cleveland issue _and_ our plans for expanding the Academy would certainly be dead in the water as well _unless_ we agreed to at least start funding Sydney in part now. To amend the budget at all we need a majority. He can bring us those votes, but not unless we provide him with a little something. We were standing to lose everything!"

" _We_ agreed to hold our ground!"

"There wasn't anymore to hold!" he yelled back his patience wearing thin. "Do you think I want to leave our people in Cleveland with limited resources?"

"I'm starting to think so," she taunted, placing her hands on her hips and thrusting her chin out in defiance.

God, they had spent the better part of seven months building an organization that would put the Slayers first, but they needed capital. They'd needed solid funding, and so she and Giles had petitioned the Watchers who survived the culling by the First's henchmen and lobbied for the monies that were tied up in the old Council. Buffy had hated the very thought of it, but Giles had felt confident they could get their message across, and for months they'd been successful, forming a loose knit coalition; and in that time, she and Giles had come to understand one another better (something that had been lacking since her resurrection) through their common goal and seemingly similar ideas for the future of the newbie Slayers. And those ideas had brought them to London, leaving Xander, Robin, Faith, and several of the baby Slayers in Cleveland.

Late night discussions and early morning meetings over coffee had solidified their partnership and had ushered in a newfound closeness. They'd found a stride and fell into sync, and they could almost read each other's minds when it came to well, pretty much anything.

Until now.

Buffy shook her head. "You are such a coward!" she accused.

"I rescued half those girls stationed in Cleveland now," Giles reminded her through clenched teeth, angrily working the muscles in his jaw. "Some I patched up, on the verge of going into shock while they watched their Watchers or parents die before them. And when I was done, I had to carry them out… without tending to their loved ones, without allowing them to say goodbye, and providing them with the only comfort I could: a promise to live another day and to deliver them safely to you! Do you think I can turn my back on them now?" he challenged. "My promise remains steadfast: to live another day. And what about Xander? Do you honestly believe after seven and a half years, I would leave him to rot on another hellmouth?"

"Don't hide behind the heroics of yesterday, Giles," she dismissed. "You totally rolled over in there and hung our people out to dry!"

"I did no such thing!" he argued with intense indignation. "What purpose would it serve to do so?"

"I don't know! Maybe you really are an _old_ Council Watcher after all. Couldn't stand up to old Travers and now Sir Stephen has you by the-"

Giles growled and strode over to her, standing with her toe to toe, his face mere inches from hers. "Care to check?"

Had she not been extremely angry, he would've shocked her, but there was absolutely no way Buffy was going to allow herself to be thrown off guard by his challenge. He'd done it deliberately to disarm her, that she knew. She stood her ground, her eyes defiant as she held his, her breathing shallow, matching his at the exertion of unleashing their ire.

And he was damnably sexy with his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tie loosened with the top shirt button undone, and the waistcoat accenting his broad shoulders and trim waist. Say what you will about Giles, he'd always been good looking, despite her protestations over the years to the contrary, but ever since he left her to deal with her resurrection on her own back in Sunnydale, the man had been taking care of himself rather well, and of course, she'd taken notice.

She must have taken too long to respond because the corner of his mouth twitched up in a menacing, yet triumphant way. "I thought not," he gloated.

And that was when she decided she wasn't going to let him win.

Grabbing him by the shoulders of his waistcoat, Buffy closed the gap between them, her lips latching on to his for a hard, angry kiss and pushing her tongue into his mouth. His eyes went wide at having been caught off guard, but he rallied. Absolutely unwilling to allow her to have control over him, he took her head between his hands and showed her he could give as good as he got.

And oh boy could the man kiss. If Buffy let it go any further, she'd definitely give into him, but since she was still extremely angry at him, that was not something she would allow in her current state, so she slipped her hand down his torso, over the top of his trousers, and drew her knuckle over the significant bulge she encountered along the way, before finding her prize.

He broke the kiss and shuddered, letting out a hiss.

"Oh, you do have a pair in there," she teased as she squeezed his scrotum, manipulating the testicles within and applying the perfect amount of pressure so as not to hurt him, but enough to demand his attention and let him know that she was very much in charge.

He groaned at her touch. She had just raised the stakes in the challenge between them. It was time to call her bluff.

"Yes," he said, his voice low and husky against her ear. "And they are hot and heavy and very full, and if you aren't going to do anything about it, I respectfully ask that you leave," he stated without any embarrassment as he pulled back to look at her, his green eyes dark and challenging. "So I can."

There was something so compelling about him openly admitting to being so turned on by her touch that he would ask her to leave, to finish what she started… or perhaps what he'd started, she didn't know anymore, but there was a certain power in that that she wanted to explore. The undoing of her Watcher, her friend, her partner. He was someone who had always presented himself as calm and collected and unassuming in her world - with very few exceptions, and every one of those few exceptions, like this one, did things to her insides that she never could quite put a name to, until now.

Looking up at him with mischief in her gaze, she slowly dragged her hand up and over his hard, trouser clad cock before crushing her lips to his, letting him know she had every intention to do something about it. And suddenly there was a mad rush of hands and lips and tongues, fighting to touch, kiss, taste, and ultimately control the other.

Buffy wasn't quite sure how they got there, but when she'd shoved Giles up against the wall, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, kissing her way down to his trousers. Smiling up at him like the proverbial cat with the canary, she undid the button and the zipper before drawing his member out of his shorts and teasingly licking the head.

Giles ran his hand through her hair before grabbing a handful and gently suggested she stand up from her position in front of him. He'd be damned if he was going to let her play him like a fiddle. Absolutely not. If she was going to play, he certainly was going to play as well and there was no way he was going to give her the satisfaction of making him come and end things early. Besides, he was a gentleman and he was damn well going to satisfy his lady… er, _the_ lady first.

Giles grabbed her pert little ass, drawing her flush against his body and maneuvering her across the room and over to the working table he'd added to his office for more intimate meetings. Laying her upon it, he drew his hands up her thighs and hiked up her skirt, his long fingers brushing the sensitive hollow of her hip and making her yelp before moving them up her sides and palming her breasts, gently teasing the stiff nipples he found beneath her blouse.

Leaning over her, he licked at her lips before quickly changing course, kissing his way along her jawline and down her delicate throat to where her blouse met the valley of her breasts. His eyes met hers as he made short work of the buttons and revealed the aroused pink nubs encased in black lace. Taking in a shuddering breath, he would swear before a pantheon of gods that he'd seen none more beautiful than she.

While he lavished attention on her body, Buffy's hands were not idle. She explored his shoulders and his chest and when she raked her nails up and down his back, he paused to make a noise that sounded much like a combination of a purr and a growl, which simply delighted her, before he continued to his quest to map out the contours of her body with his lips, tongue, and teeth.

Buffy attempted to reach around to tease his cock again, but Giles grabbed her hands and, with a smug grin on his face, nibbled and sucked at her index finger before kneeling down before her, kissing his way up her inner thigh, and taking in the heady scent of her arousal. Letting out a tortured moan, he slowly slipped her knickers down her legs and stuffed them into his pocket.

Giles was going to ask her if she was okay, if she wanted him to continue, but she hooked her right leg over his shoulder and drew him towards her. He placed her other leg over his free shoulder and settled himself between her thighs, his fingers gently opening her folds to reveal her most intimate parts to him, and he needed a moment to compose himself, to actually let himself believe that this was actually happening, that sex between him and and his Slayer - between him and Buffy - was actually happening. No… not sex… well, yes sex, but more than sex, because at some point it had gone from being a battle of wills and a dare to so much more.

At least for him.

He felt Buffy nudge him with her foot and he let out a soft chuckle at his hesitation. After all, he was about to make love to this stunning and brave woman who had, in one form or another, defined his entire life. And from that little revelation, he realized that over the past several months, as they rebuilt the Council, their relationship had changed, and he had fallen totally and hopelessly in love with her. Leaning in, he placed a reverent kiss on her inner thigh before running his tongue between her folds. He heard her soft moan of pleasure and knew he had made the right choice.

Squirming beneath his attentions, Buffy placed her hand on his head, intent on keeping him where he was while his mouth and tongue teased the most amazing reactions from her. It seemed he knew exactly how to make her body sing and she was going to take advantage of it while she had him where she wanted him, especially if this was it for them.

She refused to let her doubts interfere with the moment and ground herself against his mouth as he slipped first one finger into her and then another, heightening her pleasure and causing all thoughts to cease and allowing her to simply enjoy the ride. However, when her thighs began to tremble, she realized that she didn't want to come alone and squeezed his shoulder with a shaky hand.

Giles looked up at her with questioning eyes. She was so close to falling over the edge. Why would she stop him? Had he done something wrong?

His concern was written all over his face. "Is everything-?"

Sitting up quickly, she leaned over and stopped his question with a kiss, her tongue begging entry into his mouth and he readily opened for her, tenderly cradling her face between his hands as she held him tightly within her arms.

When Buffy broke the kiss, she looked down between them, unable to meet his eyes. "I… want you," she whispered. "Want to feel you."

Giles stood and lifted her off the table, carrying her to the oversized sofa where he reverently set her down. She raised her eyes to watch him as he slowly pulled his braces down, allowing them to fall at his sides. Then he pushed his trousers and shorts down, the evidence of his desire for her still very much front and center.

He sat down beside her and moved her so that she straddled his legs. Brushing an errant lock of hair from her face, he asked, "Together, yeah?"

Sitting back on his thighs, she gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm so close," she answered a slight blush painting her cheeks. "I'll probably come before the first thrust."

"There's no hurry," he told her as he lazily ran his fingers through her silky hair. She'd worn it down today, soft and natural and very Buffy. He kissed her forehead, her cheeks, her nose, her chin, and finally, taking her lips. Small, reverent, kisses at first, but building in length and intensity, until he moved his attentions to focus on her neck and collarbone.

Running her hands over his torso, Buffy found that Giles' nipples were highly sensitive and that he jumped at the lightest of touches on his left side just above his hipbone. She was absolutely fascinated with the sounds he made and the muscle twitches and other little responses to her touch, sensual reactions that stoked the fire burning low in her belly and caused the slick wetness at the apex of her thighs. He just seemed way more sensitive and open than her past lovers and she reveled in their love making.

Lifting her up to get better access to her breasts, Giles teased her lace clad nipples with his fingers and tongue, sucking lightly as his free hand caressed her back. As he raised his eyes to hers he caught the look of sheer pleasure on her face. "God, Buffy, please… ride me," he begged.

She tilted her head and smiled down at him, noticing the pleading in his eyes. It was a very heady experience to see raw need within them. Reaching down, she stroked his thick, hard cock twice before taking him deep within her. She placed her forehead against his as they took a moment to savor the feeling of connection.

When Giles moved to capture her lips once more, Buffy started to undulate against him and they both let out sighs of contentment, building a rhythm and increasing the pace as their passion rose to searing heights.

"Buffy," Giles grunted as his grip on her hips tightened. "So close."

"Gonna… oh god, Giles!" Buffy's body went rigid as her hot channel spasmed around him, taking him with her as they both bit down on their screams and riding out the intense waves of pleasure that crashed through their bodies.

Collapsing against him, Buffy wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, not wanting to give up the intimacy between them. He held her close, his left hand caressing her neck and back, the quiet between them both comforting and disconcerting, neither wanting to say anything that might break the illusion of something more between them, but fearing the outcome if they never do.

She didn't want to lose the closeness she shared with him, but her knees were starting to protest at being in the same position for so long, so she kissed him below the ear and asked, "Hold me?"

Giles shifted slightly to look at her, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. "For as long as you like, but I think we should get dressed in case someone comes looking for us."

"Ugh," she protested as she moved off of him.

He handed her her knickers before pulling up his shorts and trousers and buttoning his shirt part way, while she quickly made herself as presentable as possible, inwardly cursing the lack of a mirror to help her freshen up.

"This would be so much easier if we were… weren't here," she amended, combing her fingers through her hair.

"You look lovely," he replied, sitting down beside her.

Pulling him down to lie behind her on the couch, Buffy took his hand and held it close to her heart while she rested her head on his bicep. They remained cuddled together for several quiet moments, both contemplating what just happened between them and what it might mean for the future.

Finally Buffy took a deep breath. It was easier to say the things she wanted to say if she wasn't looking at him, if she focused on the door opposite them. "I'm not looking for an office romance, Giles," she finally stated.

"I understand," he replied quietly. The truth was, neither was he. Now that he had touched her, had tasted her, had lost himself in her, he wanted a lifetime with her.

As he shifted uncomfortably behind her, Buffy tightened her hold on his hand, keeping him close. She swallowed, keeping her green eyes focused on the door handle. "Do you… do you think it could be more?"

Giles squeezed his eyes shut and took in a deep breath. It certainly wasn't what he was expecting to hear, but it was quite the relief actually, and he raised himself up on his elbow and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"I think it could be so much more," he answered honestly as he squeezed her hand.

Rolling onto her back so she could look up at him, Buffy's wide smile radiated her happiness. "Really?"

He returned her smile. "Really, really."

Buffy made one more quarter turn and nestled into her lover. "Like how much more?"

"I've already pledged my life to yours, Buffy," he answered evasively.

"But what have you done for me lately?" she asked with an impish grin.

Giles laughed and tickled her ribs which earned him a small squeal and a slap on his shoulder. It didn't hurt, but he winced out of habit. "I dunno," he finally answered, his fingers trailing up her torso so he could tease her nipple. "Scratched a particular itch, I suppose."

"Mmmm, that was… amazing."

"It was," he agreed.

"So we are both looking for something longer term?" Buffy asked, needing confirmation.

Moving a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes, Giles boldly answered, "The longest."

"Good!" she replied and, satisfied with his answer, kissed his Adam's apple. After several heartbeats she added, "You know I am still pissed at you for compromising our budget with the Old Toff Network."

He kissed her nose, "I never compromised our budget."

"Then how are we funding both the start up in Sydney and the needs in Cleveland?"

"Ah, well, you see, having never submitted the amended budget proposal for perusal ahead of the meeting, I simply overestimated the operating costs for Cleveland and presented them with the new figures. A little birdie had told me about Sir Stephen's insistence to set up the Sydney office and I know how tight fisted he can be, so I rolled those costs into our needs. With him trying to play power games with us, I felt it best to hedge our bets. Xander, Faith, Robin and the rest will be more than adequately funded, I promise."

Buffy looked up at him, "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"We didn't have time. Andrew only slipped me the information the night before and our schedules didn't mesh until the meeting. Unfortunately, Sir Stephen and his cronies arrived early, and you, my dear, were seven minutes late."

"We need to figure out a way to fund our organization without their so called help," Buffy groused.

"I couldn't agree with you more. Robson thinks he's found a way to wrest control of the resources from them per the Council's by-laws and charter. I need to review the documents to confirm. If so, we can say goodbye to Sir Stephen and rest of the Old Toff Network."

She sighed wistfully. "The sooner the better." They held each other quietly, content in each other's arms before Buffy reached up and caressed his jawline. "I'm sorry I accused you of all those things," she finally apologized.

He leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, his eyes full of mischief. "I'm not."

She raised herself up on her elbow and glanced at him, perplexed. "No?"

"If you hadn't checked to see if I still had a pair, we might still be yelling at one another," he answered with a wide grin.

Buffy giggled. "Well, when you put it like that…"

He loved hearing her laugh, it was balm for his battered soul, and when she was done, she placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him. A long, sultry, and sensuous kiss full of promise for the future.

"I'm thinking forever," she said when she ended the kiss. " _That's_ the longest."

"Forever," he assented, his smile growing wider. "Kiss me like that again, and I'll agree to anything."

"I'll take that under advisement," she answered with amusement as she leaned in to kiss him again. "Because I'm _so_ starting to make plans for our future."


End file.
